147: Patience in Planning - Envision the Future

"...Books which it would have been impossible for me to obtain elsewhere were, by his wise generosity, placed within my reach; and to him I owe a taste for literature which I would not exchange for all the millions that were ever amassed by man. This is but a slight tribute and gives only a faint idea of the depth of gratitude which I feel for what he did for me and my companions..."

This week, I’m quoting a story from the Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. Published in 1920.

Reflection questions:

• If you are in the strategic and facility planning phase, ask — whose future are we designing this building or renovation for?

• Like Andrew Carnegie, are you sharing personal stories of your constituents to show the vision for the future?

Reflection on quote:

The strategic planning phase of the capital campaign is in my opinion often one of neglected phases.  I’ve observed two opposite approaches to strategic planning prior to the capital campaign.  Either, it is focused on the new facility details for projected growth without articulating the impact to clients as a part of the vision.  Or, the strategic planning happens after the capital campaign is completed. This week, we are starting a series on being patient in the planning phase in order to have a more effective capital campaign.

As Andrew Carnegie shared his vision to fund the building of libraries around the United States and the world, he began with his own story to show the impact his libraries would have on future generations on children like himself. When we are in the strategic and facility planning phrase, we are not designing buildings because we have to move locations or we have ran out of room for our administrative and program spaces or we have a waiting list.  Instead, we are designing buildings to meet our mission for specific constituents.  Each constituent with a specific story for their future.  So, therefore, it is important to envision what the future will be for your constituents in that new building and renovations.  And, luckily, on our small towns, we can often ask our constituents to be a part of the strategic planning process to directly from them. The takeaway for your capital campaign in being patient in planning: donors don't give to buildings, they give to futures.    

To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper and to schedule an free explore coaching call, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Transcript

0:00

Welcome back. Every week we pause to reflect because capital campaigns, especially in small towns, aren't just about buildings and budgets. They're about people choosing to be generous. This podcast explores the beautiful space where generosity occurs through ancient and modern writings from all cultures and religions seeking deeper wisdom for capital campaign work in small towns. Whether you're just starting out or deep in the middle of a campaign, these five minute reflections will ground you, encourage you, and remind you why this work matters. The strategic planning phase of a capital campaign is, in my opinion, one of the more neglected phases. I've observed two opposite approaches to strategic planning prior to the capital campaign. Either it is focused on the new facility details for projected growth without articulating the impact to clients as a part of the vision, Or the strategic planning happens after the capital campaign is completed. This week, we are starting a series on being patient in the planning phase in order to have a more effective capital campaign. This week, to highlight why articulating the impact to clients matters, I am quoting a story from the autobiography of Andrew Carnegie published in 1920. The story begins. The messenger boys were hardworked. Every other evening, they were required to be on duty until the office closed, and on those nights, it was seldom that I reached home before 11:00. On alternative nights, we were relieved at 6:00. This did not leave much time for self-improvement, nor did the wants of the family leave any money to spend on books. There came, however, like a blessing from above, a means by which the treasures of literature were unfolded to me. Colonel James Anderson's, I bless his name as I write, announced that he would open his library, his personal library of 400 volumes to boys, so that any young man could take out each Saturday afternoon a book which could be exchanged for another on the succeeding Saturday. The windows were opened in the walls of my dungeon through which the light of knowledge streamed in. Each day's toil and even the long hours of night service were lightened by the book, which I carried about with me and read in intervals that could be snatched from duty. And the future was made bright by the thought that when Saturday came, a new volume could be obtained. Books which it would have been impossible for me to obtain elsewhere were by his wise generosity placed within my reach and to him, I owe a taste for literature, which I could not exchange for all of the millions that were ever amassed by man. This is, but a slight tribute and gives only a faint idea of the depth of gratitude, which I feel for what he did for me and my companions. End quotes. As Andrew Carnegie shared his vision to fund the building of libraries around the United States and the world, he began with his own story to show the impact his libraries would have on future generations of children like himself. When we are in the strategic and facility planning phase, we are not designing buildings because we have to move locations or because we've run out of room for our administrative or program spaces, or we have a waiting list. Instead, we are building buildings to meet the mission for specific constituents, and each constituent has a specific story for their future. So, therefore, it's important to envision what the future will be for your constituents in that new building or renovation. And luckily, in our small towns, we can often ask our constituents to be a part of the strategic planning process to hear directly from them. The takeaway for your capital campaign to be patient in planning is that donors don't give to buildings, they give to futures. Let's reflect on two questions this week. If you are in the strategic or facility planning phase, ask, Whose future are we designing this building or renovation for? Like Andrew Carnegie, are you sharing personal stories of your constituents to show the vision for the future? Share this podcast if you enjoy these five minute reflections and subscribe to receive these reflections released every week. To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper, visit serving nonprofits.com. See you next week.